Hagerty accelerates, celebrates 40 years of mixing cars, people

Tarra Warnes and her husband once owned two Yugos. The sub-compact three-door hatchback and two-door convertible are often cited as the worst vehicles in history. The Yugo enthusiast family’s idea was to use one vehicle to provide parts for its counterpart’s restoration as a race car.

The outcome isn’t as relevant as the irony of Warnes telling the tale. She’s vice president of creative strategy at Hagerty. It’s the insurance company, marketplace, magazine and website publisher and automotive event organizer focusing on classic cars and their owners.

The company began in 1984. Husband and wife Frank and Louise Hagerty couldn’t find satisfactory insurance coverage for their wooden boats, so their new Michigan company did. Insurance for cars and other vehicles followed. The couple’s son McKeel Hagerty became CEO in 2000.

“We started as a niche insurance company; it was built by people who love cars and it was built for people who love cars,” said Warnes, a 15-year employee. “We have grown now in 40 years to insure about 2.4 million vehicles and we are a community and hub for millions of classic car lovers.”

From its insurance beginnings, Hagerty’s magazine, the company reports, has 815,000 print subscribers and a “robust” online presence with social media channels. Hagerty is also the “steward” for multiple automotive events. The brand’s most recent offering is Marketplace where consumers can buy and sell vehicles. Live auctions are also held via Hagerty’s relationship with Broad Arrow Auctions.

The company also owns the Greenwich Concours d’Elégance, Concours d’Elegance of America and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. It also established MotorsportReg.com and Hagerty Garage.

The magazine’s success has prompted substantially increased public brand awareness. The publication debuted nearly 25 years ago, but it was renamed Hagerty Drivers Club Magazine in 2020 and it’s part of member benefits. It’s also available as a stand-alone subscription.

Published six times per year, the country’s largest automotive publication has a lifestyle slant. It’s largely absent of engine performance nuances, gear ratio analyses and other automotive complexities.

Columnists include renowned collector and entertainer Jay Leno and Wayne Carini, the car restorer and television personality whose prominence arrived with the 2008 debut of the documentary series “Chasing Classic Cars.”

Warnes’ responsibilities encompass marketing the Hagerty brand. The company’s approach is far removed from heavy-handedness.

“We are not trying to hit people over the head with direct marketing or product all the time,” she said. “I think that really great brands can create really compelling content that people enjoy seeing and that bring a smile to their face, that puts a tear in their eyes and that sort of connects with them on an emotional level.”

Recent article headlines provide ideal examples: “Tattoo artist’s ’56 Bel Air Sport Sedan is a rolling marquee,” “This restored 1969 Ford Torino is staying in the family,” and “Blind at 58, one man chose to keep loving life—and his classic Plymouth.”

Hagerty’s year-long anniversary campaign includes a television commercial, broadcast on various networks, titled “Keepers of the Flame.” It’s “to signal to the automotive world that Hagerty has ‘plenty left in the tank’ for the next 40 years.”

What vehicles qualify is subjective. The Warnes sold their Yugos when they moved and downsized their garage space. They no longer own a classic, but may have a future purchase. Tarra Warnes drives a red Volkswagen Jetta turbo diesel wagon. But she desires a car from her childhood, a station wagon from the mid-1980s or a minivan from the early 1990s.

“I’m not into cars that were cool when I was in high school or that were ever cool,” she said. “I’m into cars that kind of nostalgically remind me of my childhood.”

It’s a sentiment shared by many classic vehicle enthusiasts and a company named Hagerty.

James Raia, a syndicated automotive columnist in Sacramento, is founder and senior editor of theweeklydriver.com. It features new car reviews and signups for a free newsletter and podcast. E-mail: james@jamesraia.com.